This week is Arthritis Orange Appeal week.   Arthritis is the inflammation of joints and it’s one of New Zealand’s greatest causes of disability.  There is no known cure for arthritis so the main goal of treatments is to reduce symptoms and manage pain.  

Exercise has a huge role to play both in the prevention of arthritis and the treatment of symptoms.   The two main causes of arthritis are heredity, which you can’t do anything about, and your weight, which you certainly can.    Being overweight predisposes you to arthritis because of the extra pressure your weight puts on your joints.  For example, studies have shown that overweight women are almost four times more likely to get knee osteoarthritis than women at a healthy weight.  So exercise can help with arthritis prevention in two ways.    Firstly it helps keep you in a healthy weight range.   Secondly, exercise strengthens the muscles around the joints which takes stress off the joints.   This protects joints from the wear and tear that can lead to degeneration and inflammation.  

For people already suffering from arthritis light exercise can be part of a treatment plan to help relieve the symptoms.     The types of exercises that are best will depend on the type of arthritis and which joints are involved.    Your doctor can liaise with a trainer to create a plan that gives you the most benefit with the least aggravation of joint pain.    Flexibility exercises relieve stiffness and increase your ability to move your joints through full range of motion.   Light weight training improves bone density and creates lean muscle mass to protect joints.  Low impact aerobic exercise helps with circulation and stamina.    

Arthritis can be a hugely debilitating condition but including appropriate gentle exercise in your treatment plan can reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.     Take care of your health and look out for the collectors in orange today.  

If you’re a regular exerciser it’s likely you have developed a strong immune system and will be less vulnerable to lurgies.   But it is hard to stay well 100% of the time.     How do you know how sick is too sick for exercise?

The best way to assess if you’re “Good to Go” or should “Lay Low” is the “Neck Check”.    

If the sickness is above the neck you’re generally safe to exercise.   Above the neck includes mild headache, sore or scratchy throat, nasal congestion, sneezing or teary eyes.   

In this case a little light exercise can stimulate the immune system.  I start my clients off gently.  We begin with an intensity of 6 out of 10 with lots of breaks and water stops.    If they start feeling better as they exercise I gradually increase the intensity and stop if necessary.    It’s important that you go extra cautiously if you have taken medication to relieve your symptoms – without your symptoms to guide you it’s hard to tell how sick you really are and if you overdo it you risk making the illness more severe.

If you choose to go to the gym don’t forget your manners!    Bring your sweat towel (you always do, of course!) and wipe everything down with antiseptic spray after you use it.

If symptoms are below the neck you should definitely take the day off.  This includes chest congestion, stomach cramps or vomiting, diarrhea, general aches and fever.    Some illnesses require all of the strength of the immune system and can be aggravated by the dehydration and muscle fatigue that occurs with exercise.   Best you stay home and have the illness sideline you for 2 days rather than being a hero and having it sideline you for 2 weeks.

Rest does not mean sit on the couch and indulge in comfort eating!   The best thing you can do is take your vitamins, drink loads of water and go to bed early.    “I’ll put on weight if I miss the gym” is a bad excuse.    Eat the way you know you should when you are sick.  If you’re serious about healing your body you need to be eating lots of fresh food and good quality protein.   Most importantly, consider how many treat foods are appropriate when you are temporarily sedentary.     While you’re stuck at home with limited food choices you might even lose a little weight.   

Neither your body nor your friends will thank you for coming to the gym when you’re ill.    Exercise regularly when you are well and be sensible when you aren’t.    Your fitness is very important but if you try to put it ahead of your health when you are sick you will end up losing both.

Resistance training is any type of exercise that contracts muscles to build strength and lean muscle mass.    The main reason my clients want to do resistance training is that it builds lean muscle mass and speeds up metabolic rate.  Basically it turbo-charges all your other weight loss efforts by building muscle.   Muscle is “metabolically active tissue” which means the body has to expend energy to maintain it.  As you age lean muscle mass reduces which causes metabolic rate to slow and weight to creep on.    Resistance training can increase metabolic rate up to 15% which is super helpful for weight loss and long-term weight maintenance.   The more toned your muscles are the easier it is to lose weight, a very happy upwards spiral.      And of course all the calories you burn while performing your resistance training help with weight loss too.

Resistance training improves stamina and muscle endurance, making aerobic exercise easier.    Strong ligaments and tendons support the joints and reduce the likelihood of injury.    As well as physical stamina, resistance training has been shown to have positive effects on cognitive function.    Some of these benefits will come from improved sleep and reduced stress that exercise creates.    However studies have shown that resistance training can boost brain function to the degree that it can delay the onset of dementia and alzheimers.

There are many other long term benefits of incorporating resistance training into your fitness regime.   Being strong enables you to continue to perform daily activities that require lifting, pushing and pulling.   When you are young you take these skills for granted but as you age they are not a given.   Mobility and functionality are keys to independence and important to protect.   Strength improves posture and balance, reducing the risk of falls and injuries.   Resistance training can reduce the risk and symptoms of many conditions including back pain, arthritis, heart disease and diabetes.   For women resistance training is particularly important for re-building bone density and reducing the risk of osteoporosis.  

Some women are concerned that strength training will cause them to “bulk up”.   This is a myth.  Even women trying to put on muscle often struggle to do so because women have less testosterone than men.   Most women come to the gym wanting to drop a dress size or two.   Incorporating an appropriate weight training program as part of a fitness and nutrition regime will not only drop the centimetres away but leave a leaner, firmer and more toned body.

Resistance training is a key component of fitness for all ages.   You’ll manage your weight with less effort and improve your health and wellbeing at the same time.